Wednesday, March 28, 2012

The Gift of a Birthday

Birthdays have always seemed sacred to me.
For one reason or another, the ritual of aging often brings a great deal of emotion, expectation, and trepidation for many of us. This may be because our culture values both youthfulness and wisdom simultaneously, so these cultural polarities can evoke deep reactions from within us related to the many levels of our identity, as well as our perceived place in our world.

My birthday was this week. With the coming and going of my sacred day of transition I became aware of the many facets of the experiences encapsulated in this journey I call "life." With so much to be grateful for, along with such hope and opportunity for growth, I was aware of my own perceptions of what a birthday means to me.
This is what I came up with:

-Each birthday is a rite of passage that allows me to move forward in a measurable way on my life journey.
-A birthday is an opportunity to celebrate myself! One day exclusively (in my world, anyway) about me!
-A birthday is a day to accept love from others.
-A birthday is a day to give thanks to Mom and Dad for bringing me into this world.
-A birthday is a day to reflect on birthdays past, lessons learned, and growth achieved.
-A birthday is a day to envision days yet to come, and to set intentions for goals, desires, and ideas about the future.
-A birthday is a day to express gratitude.
-A birthday is a gift that reminds us that we are ALIVE in this world. That we are a part of this beautiful, complicated, exquisite life on this Earth...and that we have a part to play in this existence.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Amazing new book on the inner-workings of creativity

I love this book. I want to recommend it to anyone who has ever been struck by a creative thought, has been inspired by the creativity of others, or has simply wondered where creativity comes from.

A quote from the book:
"We'll learn about Bob Dylan's writing method and the drug habits of poets. We'll spend time with a bartender who thinks like a chemist, and an autistic surfer who invented a new surfing move. We'll look at a website that helps solve seemingly impossible problems, and we'll go behind the scenes at Pixar. We'll watch Yo-Yo Ma improvise, and we'll uncover the secrets of consistently innovative companies."

Love this stuff? click here to link to the book on Amazon

Friday, March 16, 2012

Brain Storm: Exciting exploration of the brain through various creative methods

Check this out! Take a look to learn about a phenomenal performance utilizing a variety of creative media to explore the complex world of Neuroscience.

Click here to read 'Brain Storm'

Monday, March 12, 2012

Obvious to you, amazing to others. --D. Sivers

The very short video clip below is a great reminder of how brilliant each of us truly are (whether we recognize it or not!) This clip was taken from the book "Anything You Want" by Derek Sivers. If you're in the mood for a little inspiration this morning, please take the time (less than 2 minutes!) to watch.

Click here to watch!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You are --Dr. Seuss




Try as I might, I can never resist a good Dr. Seuss story. This is one I haven't heard before called "Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You are?" What a wonderful wise story. Please enjoy the digital version:

Click here to watch